Don't Forget Me
by Rosebud Wolfe
Summary: A MarkxRoger story of love,loss and love found again. Based on the song Don't forget me by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Warnings: language, sex


_Warnings_: language, sex _Disclaimer:_ Don't own Rent and lyrics belong to the Red Hot Chili Peppers

_**Don't Forget Me- Rosebud Wolfe**_

**I'm an ocean in your bedroom****  
Make you feel warm  
Make you want to re-assume  
Now we know it all for sure **

Fucking cold nights. Mark shivered and snuggled closer to Roger, who in turn wrapped his arms even tighter around the smaller man. Before they started sleeping together, Mark would have given anything to be in his bed with the heated blanket. But now with Roger, things were much hotter than any blanket. Sunrise leaked through the battered window shade. Roger began to shift. Time to go write a song. Mark clung to his arm.

"Don't leave. Please."  
"I'm just going to click on the coffee maker. I'll only be a second". Roger kissed Mark's forehead.  
"I hate coffee. I don't want you to go…stay," Mark whimpered and pouted his lips.  
Roger scooted back under the covers. "Ok, I'll stay."  
"Promise?"  
"Promise. I'll never leave you Mark."

Mark smiled. After all, how could he? Roger was tough but Mark melted him. That scene of Mark coming home with a ripped shirt, broken glasses, and saying he's been mugged played forever in Roger's mind. Mark was so vulnerable those first few months he had been in New York. Hell, he was still vulnerable. Roger never wanted to leave Mark and of that he was sure.

**I'm a dance hall dirty breakbeat  
Make the snow fall  
Up from underneath your feet  
Not alone, I'll be there  
Tell me when you want to go **

The band was good, no, amazing. And everyone in the club knew it. It was packed, and much too crowed for Mark's liking. But he really wanted to get some more footage of Roger performing. Once the set was done, Mark headed to the back room. Roger looked exhausted but still managed to put on a big smile for Mark. They headed out the back door. A group of girls came up to Roger and he signed the band poster for them. Early November snow began to fall so they decided to skip dinner and head home. Roger slipped his hand into Mark's. Mark couldn't help but blush.

"You know, despite the fact that I receive the most attention in the group I can't help but feeling so alone. Maybe it's a sort of depression or something but I can't shake this emptiness."  
Mark frowned and stopped walking. "You promised you'd never leave me right?"  
"Of course."  
"Well, I'll never leave you. I don't want you to feel alone because, because you're not. You have me."

Roger turned and faced Mark. Wrapping his arm's around the filmmaker's waist he pulled Mark into a kiss. Teeth soon clashed and Roger's tongue explored Mark's mouth. He pulled away only for a moment to break for air.

"I love you Mark Cohen. C'mon, let's get back to the loft."

**I'm a meth lab first rehab  
Take it all off  
And step inside the running cab  
There's a love that knows the way**

Oh how Mark hated April. He hated the way she acted, dressed, talked but more importantly the way she fed Roger drugs. He hated her drug-induced tantrums and the way she would bitch out Roger. Yet at the same time he couldn't help loving her for it. Because on those nights Roger would come home alone, shoot up even more and fuck Mark until he passed out. Not that Mark minded, he loved the rough sex. He loved the way Roger would pull his hair and dig his nails into the pale flesh. Granted, Roger rarely remembered the encounters but the fact of it was Roger was still his in some way. He was so afraid, so shocked when Roger introduced April to him. He was afraid that he was going to lose Roger to this druggie lifestyle. Mark confronted Roger about it once but Roger only responded with "A promise is a promise, Mark."

**I'm the rainbow in your jail cell  
All the memories of  
Everything you've ever smelled  
Not alone, I'll be there  
Tell me when you want to go**

One night, Mark was sitting up in bed when the loft door crashed open. Roger stormed into Mark's room, slamming the door behind him.

"Rog, what's wrong? You're going to wake up Collins let alone the whole building."

Between pulling of his pants and searching through Mark's top drawer for condoms he managed to spit out, "Fucking bitch, I was only trying to help her." Roger pounced on top of Mark and began kissing him harshly. He eased away from Mark's mouth and began biting and sucking every place possible. Mark laced his fingers through the freshly bleached hair and moaned. If Roger's slamming about didn't wake Collins then Mark's moaning sure would. Roger's hot tongue enveloped Mark as he held on to the sheet under him. Roger came back up to kiss Mark and oh god, tasting himself on Roger's lips just excited him more. He wrapped his legs around Roger's waist and pulled him up. Roger sighed heavily. He curled his finger's around Mark's wrist, pinning them above his head, holding him in place when he thrust forward. Roger could feel Mark's toes curl against his sides and knew Mark was really starting to feel it. He slammed into Mark again, this time with release. He pulled out, discarded the condom and flopped next to Mark. Mark rolled over and draped his arm across Roger's stomach.

**Sideways falling  
More will be revealed my friend  
Don't forget me  
I can't hide it  
Come again make me excited **

"Do you still love me?"  
"What?"  
"You told me you loved me. Do you still?"

Roger sat up and stared at Mark. "Of course I do, you're my best friend."  
"But I mean, more than as a friend."  
"…I. I don't know. I mean, I love you to death as a brother-"  
"Brothers don't fuck each other!" Mark snapped back a little too loud. He threw the sheet off him and proceeded to pull up his red pajama bottoms. While putting on his battered shirt he felt two arms wrap around his chest.  
"You're right. So I guess that, yeah, I do love you more than that."  
"Then why still be with her."  
"Because I love her too."  
"Maybe you should sleep in your own bed tonight, just incase April comes home."

Mark felt Roger pull closer as he left trails of sweet kisses down Mark's neck.  
"But I want to sleep with you."  
"Roger…"  
"You said you'd never leave me. I don't want to sleep alone."

Roger's callused hand trailed up the front of Mark's shirt while the other fingered the elastic waistband of the pajama pants.  
"Isn't this what you want? A night with me not completely high?"  
Mark turned to face Roger, resting his hands on the rocker's muscled chest. He nuzzled into the crook of Roger's shoulder and whispered a barely audible 'yes'.

**I'm an inbred and a pothead  
Two legs that you spread  
Inside the tool shed  
Now we know it all for sure **

Roger loved April and there was nothing more he could do about it. They had patched things up and although the drug intake was at a worrying high the fighting had stopped. April was even beginning to open up to Mark. She and Roger were even dragging him along to some protest being held. Mark only agreed to go because of the filming opportunities. The place was loud, crowded and reeked of pot. The three spotted Collins over in corner standing with a woman. Mark giggled. He wondered if she knew about Collin's orientation.

"Who the hell is that?" Mark shouted at Roger.  
"Oh, that's Maureen Johnson. She's leading this whole shin-dig. I met her sometime ago at one of Collin's little get-togethers. She's a little out there and kind of hard to get along with but I'm sure you'll like her eventually."

Eventually being two hours later against a cold brick building.

**I could show you  
To the free field  
Overcome and more  
Will always be revealed  
Not alone, I'll be there  
Tell me when you want to go **

Maureen was probably not one of the best things that could of happened to him. Sure the sex was good but he couldn't help feeling like there was something going on behind his back. It made him long for those nights alone with Roger. Mark was laying down, curled up in a ball under the sheets. He didn't feel like talking to anyone after he had just seen his girlfriend kissing some guy at a bar the previous night.

"Pookie, what's wrong? You've been in bed all day."  
"Nothing."  
"Pookie…tell me!"  
"No."

Maureen jumped on top of him. Her elbows were digging into his sides.  
"Tell me!"  
"Fine. Why were you making out with that guy last night?"  
"I. I…I don't know. I was drunk and tired and horny. What would you have done?"  
"Found my girlfriend instead of a random person."  
"Ok, so it was stupid. But Pookie, it was just a kiss. And it didn't mean anything so I'm sorry."  
"Fine."  
"Mark…"  
"Its just you're so beautiful. You could be with anyone you wanted. I just want to be told to my face when you dump me and not by seeing you with someone."  
"Marky, I'm not going to leave you. I can't help it if other people want me. But right now its you I want and that's all that matters. Ok?"

Mark sighed heavily. "Ok."

**I'm the bloodstain  
On your shirt sleeve  
Coming down and more are coming to believe  
Now we know it all for sure **

She was dead. Mark wanted April out of their lives but not this way. He felt so guilty in a way and yet he couldn't have done anything to save her. But now, now he had other things to worry about. Like Roger. Mark shifted in the chair. Hospital waiting room chairs were so uncomfortable. Roger came through the double doors dragging his feet.

"So…"  
"The results will be ready tomorrow morning. They'll call."  
"Oh."  
"You should get tested too."  
"Me? But…we" Mark lowered his voice considerably "we used protection. And we stopped messing around when the drug use got heavy."  
"Condoms break, Mark. I was always too fucked up to notice and you were in too much bliss to care. Get tested."  
Roger pushed passed Mark and walked out the door.

That night, Maureen was out. Mark knocked on Roger's door. No reply. He opened the door slightly, but just enough to see the gleam of a needle sliding into skin. Mark pushed the rest of it open and grabbed the needle from Roger, causing him to cry out in pain.

"What the fuck, Mark?"  
"Its because of this shit that you're positive. That she was positive."

Roger stood up and curled his hand into a fist. The next thing Mark knew he was sprawled on the floor, nose bleeding.

"Fuck you, Mark, fuck you. Stop bleeding and get the hell out of my room."  
"You said you'd never leave me."  
"What the hell are you talking about, I'm right fucking here."  
"You're here but the Roger I know is long gone."

**Make the hair stand  
Up on your arm  
Teach you how to dance  
Inside the funny farm  
Not alone, I'll be there  
Tell me when you want to go**

The withdrawals were bad, real bad. But Roger was returning. Mark would spend his day rubbing Roger's back as he had his head in the toilet or stroking his hair as he cried himself to sleep. Roger needed security and comfort and he knew that he could rely on Mark for that. The night was surprisingly warm but Roger still shivered under a heap of blankets. Mark was sitting on the bed next to Roger, trying to get him to sip some tea. Roger smiled weakly.

"What have I done to you?"  
"What?"  
"I'm so sorry, Mark. For putting you through all this. You were right, I was gone. But you got me back. You never left. I'm sorry that I broke our promise."

Mark couldn't be angry, he just couldn't. Roger was getting over this, and that was the important thing. What mattered now is that Roger needed a friend, a real friend who would love him 'till the end. Mark looked into those emerald eyes.

"Do you still love me?"  
"With all my heart, Mark."

Mark smiled, and kissed Roger's cheek.  
"Get some sleep."  
As Mark attempted to get up, Roger grabbed hold of his shirt.  
"Don't leave. Stay and keep me warm."  
"Alright."  
Mark rustled his way under the bed covers.

"Do you still love me?"  
"Of course I do Roger."  
"Please don't forget me."  
"Huh?"  
"I know someday I'll have to break our promise again but please don't forget me."  
"I'll never forget. I'll always be there for you. Don't you forget that."  
"Promise I won't."  
"Good."

Mark kissed Roger again and the two wrapped themselves around each other. Roger's shivering finally stopped.

**A/N: Please review...thanks so much for reading!**


End file.
